Rockstar Announces Manhunt 2

Stealth-horror game arrives at retail in time for Halloween

Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, is proud to announce that Manhunt 2 for the Wii home video game system from Nintendo, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, and PSP (PlayStation Portable) system is now available at North American retail stores.

"Manhunt 2 has gone through much to reach this day," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "We are very excited that fans will finally get a chance to experience the magnificent horror experience we've crafted with Manhunt 2."

The sequel to the critically acclaimed, best-selling franchise, Manhunt 2 is a dark and disturbing psychological story revolving around the sinister events of a secretive research project called The Pickman Project.

Plunging into the depths of human psychosis, terror and paranoia, the twisted plot and brutal gameplay conspire to create the most atmospheric gaming experience ever, with GamesRadar.com stating, "Manhunt 2 looks to be a deeply, horrifyingly unsettling experience, and we mean that as the highest possible compliment."

Manhunt 2 for the Wii, PlayStation 2 system, and PSP system is rated "M" for Mature.

For more information please visit http://www.rockstargames.com/manhunt2/.

COMMAND & CONQUER 3 - KANE'S WRATH

Expansion Pack in Award-winning Series to Include Natasha Henstridge and Carl Lumbly in Live Action Video Sequences

Electronic Arts today announced that Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, the expansion pack to the critically-acclaimed and fan favorite, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, will feature Natasha Henstridge (Species trilogy) and Carl Lumbly (‘Alias’) in its all-new, high-definition, live action video sequences. Henstridge and Lumbly will be joined by veteran Command & Conquer actor Joe Kucan, who originated the role of Kane, the megalomaniacal leader of the Brotherhood of Nod. All three actors are at the epicentre of the Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath story which will span 20 years – from the rebirth of the Brotherhood after the Second Tiberium War through the dramatic events of the Third Tiberium War and beyond.

“Natasha and Carl are a perfect fit for the live-action video sequences that will bring our epic story to life,” said Mike Verdu, General Manager of EALA and Executive Producer on Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath. “We had great success with the cast and story for Command & Conquer 3, and I’m very excited to be working with such talented actors on the expansion pack. We’re doing something really unique with the campaign this time around – and I think fans will be thrilled to see how the story unfolds.”

Live action cinematics have become one of the hallmarks of the Command & Conquer series dating back to the original Command & Conquer in 1995. In addition to the trademark live action videos and multi-decade campaign, Kane’s Wrath introduces six new sub-factions and a wealth of new units, structures, and powers to the armies of the Global Defense Initiative, the Brotherhood of Nod, and the enigmatic alien Scrin.

The Xbox 360 version of Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath will debut a revolutionary new radial interface designed specifically for console gamers. Taking RTS controls to a whole new level, players will utilize the command stick to build, deploy, and attack.

Developed at EALA, Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath will ship in Spring 2008 for Windows PC and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. This product is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath or the Command & Conquer series, please visit www.electronicarts.co.uk/commandandconquer.

About Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer, the groundbreaking series that put the Real-time Strategy (RTS) genre on the map, returned in full force in 2007 with Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™. The next chapter took the popular series back to its roots in the Tiberium Universe and featured the fast, fluid gameplay that Command & Conquer is known for and a gripping story that was told through live action video sequences featuring major Hollywood talent. Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars is available for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and PC and are rated “T” (Teen) by the ESRB and 16+ by PEGI and the USK. For more information about Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars or the Command & Conquer series, please visit the official site at www.electronicarts.co.uk/commandandconquer.

2K Sports Unveils More New Features in College Hoops 2K8

PlayVision and Play Designer unveiled as innovative new features

2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, announced more exciting new features for College Hoops 2K8, the No1 selling college basketball game last year and the No1 rated college basketball game five years running.

New to this year's edition of the 2K Sports' College Hoops series is PlayVision, allowing gamers to execute every play on the court to perfection. PlayVision draws out each play step-by-step, detailing where on the court to pass, move, and watch for a screen. Each step of the play is illustrated with a different graphic, making plays easy to execute with accuracy and precision. PlayVision also works when playing with two or more people on the same team by indicating where the gamers need to set up their players to execute the play.

"Among many other exciting new features this year, we focused on making plays easier to execute while also adding the ability to create your own types of plays. PlayVision and Play Designer work hand-in-hand to allow gamers to learn the fundamental movements of basketball plays and in turn enable users to get a much more realistic college basketball experience," said Greg Thomas, President of Visual Concepts, a 2K Sports studio.

With the all new Play Designer, gamers can create their own plays from beginning to end and customize their playbook. Gamers can determine where their players begin a play, tell each player what to do using numerous moves, and then bring in various types of defenses to test their plays against. Once created in Play Designer, any play can be executed during a game and seen on the court with PlayVision.

College Hoops 2K8, the best selling college basketball video game this past year* and best rated college basketball game for five years running**, returns this year with the deepest feature enhancements in the history of the franchise, advanced next generation visuals and countless new animations to deliver the most innovative and authentic college basketball video game experience to date.

College Hoops 2K8 will be available this fall for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

For more information, log onto http://www.2ksports.com.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates

Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates will be released across all PAL territories in spring 2008 exclusively on the Nintendo DS system.

FINAL FANTASY CRSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates has been designed to be the most accessible FINAL FANTASY ever. The unique action-based gameplay offers exciting 3D levels, exploration and puzzle solving, with a control system that allows you to engage enemies on your terms and without any random encounters.

The best part of this exciting adventure is that up to four friends can team-up and co-operate with Nintendo DS Wireless Communication. Like all great heroes, you’ll want to look good during the action and there are hundreds of different items and costume combinations to make your character unique.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “With a strong focus on action and exploration FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates offers an exciting, fast-paced adventure. If you’ve never played a FINAL FANTASY game before, Ring of Fates is the perfect introduction and offers even more fun when played with friends.”

About FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates

Story

The Great Crystal protects the land from the malefic glow of the blood red moon.

Twins are born to this land, endowed with a shared, mystical power.

Their peaceful life is suddenly changed with the rise of the blood red moon.

All fates are etched into the crystal.

Features

• Unique action-based gameplay – with 3D levels, exploration and puzzle solving

• Action-based control system lets you experience the adventure your way

• Experience exhilarating real-time battles with intuitive controls

• Gorgeous 3D graphics and an emotional audio score creates a beautiful world to explore

• Co-operate with up to four players to explore via Nintendo DS Wireless Communication

• Realise the tale of two heroic yet innocent twins in a unique story of fate, adventure and fraternal love.

• Hundreds of different item and costume combinations add to the fun. Changes to costume and equipment are directly visible on your character in the game

• Trade with friends using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection functions

• Additional content over the original Japanese version, with four new quests

• Can be played in English, French, German and Spanish. The multiplayer mode allows friends to play together regardless of their selected language.

NARUTO Wii From TOMY

The best fighting game yet for the Wii - NARUTO: Clash of Ninja Revolution

The focus of a huge NARUTO Launch Event, Saturday, October 27, at the Nintendo World Store in New York's Rockefeller Center. The Nintendo World Store was filled with gaming stations, collectible card game areas and the inaugural professional Ramen Noodle Eating Contest featuring some of the world's most renowned competitive eating athletes in an event sanctioned by Major League Eating (MLE).

Also featured during the NARUTO Launch Event was the introduction of NARUTO™: Path of the Ninja for the Nintendo DS™ along with game tournaments for prizes, a costumed NARUTO character, free give-away items and much more!

The winner of the Ramen Noodle Eating Contest was Tim "Eater X" Janus, ranked #4 in the world of professional eaters, who ate more than 10 pounds of noodles in 10 minutes.

NARUTO: Clash of Ninja Revolution for the Wii home video game system and NARUTO: Path of the Ninja for the Nintendo DS are now available at retail outlets. For additional information on NARUTO: Clash of Ninja Revolution and NARUTO: Path of the Ninja, visit http://www.NarutoNintendoGames.com.

History Of Video Games

Fall exhibit hosted by Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's Economic Adventure Gallery

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Economic Adventure Gallery is hosting an engaging, interactive exhibit on the history of video games this fall. “Video Games Evolve: A Brief History from Spacewar! to MMORPGs” examines the video-game industry’s roots, which are firmly planted in New England. The exhibit, which is free, runs though January.

“This is a wonderful exhibit not only for video game lovers, but for anyone who wants to know how science, technology, and art come together to form an industry,” said Dr. Peter Raad, Executive Director of The Guildhall at SMU.

The gaming revolution began across the Charles River at MIT, where the first non-commercial interactive video game, “Spacewar!”, was born in 1962. About a decade later, Magnavox released the first commercial video-game console, “Odyssey,” which was created by New Hampshire resident Ralph Baer. In addition to enjoying a “Spacewar!” simulation, visitors can examine an enlarged reproduction of Baer’s prototype notes, as well as an early Odyssey console.

If guests are interested in a more hands-on experience, they can play classic 1980 arcade games like “Donkey Kong,” “Ms. Pac Man,” “Frogger” or “Space Invaders.” In addition to being able to play these games for free, visitors can admire the sleek fiberglass console of “Computer Space,” an early 1970s arcade game.

The exhibit also offers a look at the evolution of the home-gaming console, a timeline of video-game history, and an in-depth look at the motion-capture process (a key animation tool in modern video-game production). The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University, a leading education center for digital-game development, loaned several three-dimensional sculptures of creatures that were used to develop animations.

In addition to examining the past, the exhibit also offers an enticing look at modern-day games, including “Star Wars Galaxies,” the “Immune Attack” educational game, the virtual reality of “Second Life,” and massive, multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like “World of Warcraft.”

The exhibit is part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Economic Adventure, an interactive educational designed to teach middle- and high-school students how New England’s improved living standards are reliant upon innovation, which leads to advances in productivity. The exhibit is open from Monday through Friday, from 1:00-4:00pm.

Codemasters triumphant at Golden Joystick Awards

Codemasters named 'Developer of the Year'– The Lord of the Rings Online scoops 'PC Game of the Year 2007'

Codemasters, the developer and publisher of world-class video games, was victorious at the 25th annual Golden Joystick Awards winning both the ‘UK Developer of the Year 2007 Award’ and the ‘PC Game of the Year 2007 Award’ for The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, developed by Turbine, Inc. and published and operated in Europe by Codemasters Online.

The Golden Joystick Awards are the UK’s longest running and most popular video game awards and, in this 25th anniversary year, saw nearly 750,000 votes cast by readers of Future Publishing’s leading video game magazines and websites. The prestigious event took place at the Hilton Hotel on London’s Park Lane on Friday.

In being named ‘UK Developer of the Year’, Codemasters is the first to be honoured with the award. The category, introduced just this year, praises and recognises the best home-grown creative talent and saw 51 companies competing for nomination.

Codemasters, whose Warwickshire-based central studios are responsible for titles including Colin McRae: DiRT™, Brian Lara International Cricket™ and the Race Driver™ series, beat competitors including Rockstar North, Lionhead, Rare, and Bizarre Creations to the award. Codemasters was also the only 3rd Party games publisher in the final nominations announced during the event for the ‘Publisher of the Year’ award, alongside Microsoft and Nintendo.

“To be recognised and rewarded as a creative team is a great achievement and the fact that this award was voted for by hundreds of thousands of gamers has made everyone at Codemasters immensely proud,” said Gavin Cheshire, Vice President, Codemasters Studios.

“Game development has been a part of Codemasters for almost as long as the publishing arm has been operating and our titles have a quality and consistency that many other developers and publishers envy. We’re overjoyed in winning the award for our achievements to date and, be assured, we have many exciting concepts for the future.”

In addition to the ‘UK Developer of the Year’ award, Codemasters also celebrated winning the much coveted Golden Joystick for ‘PC Game of the Year 2007’ for The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, which it publishes and operates in Europe in association with the title’s developer, Turbine, Inc.

The highly acclaimed massively-multiplayer online role-playing game beat out a stellar list of nominees, including World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl, cementing its place as one of the premier gaming experiences on the PC. The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar was also nominated in the Soundtrack of the Year, Nuts All-Nighter Award, Online Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year categories as well.

“Codemasters Online is delighted to receive such a prominent award and would like to thank all the dedicated players who voted for The Lord of the Rings Online at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards,” commented David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online.

“The nature of the award is particularly important to us because it’s voted by the players and we feel extremely privileged to receive PC Game of the Year for The Lord of the Rings Online.”

Mutant Storm Empire - Xbox LIVE Arcade This Week

"Mutant Storm Empire" launches Wednesday — plus a number of other titles are coming up

You may be too old to go trick-or-treating, but you’re never too old to game. October has been a month of fun treats on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360, and there’s plenty to get excited about in the coming weeks. Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s freaky title, as well as several additional games that are coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade in the next few weeks.

Just in time for Halloween, “” is packed with sci-fi action as players crush gangs of robots, smash swarms of UFOs and demolish massive enemy bosses. “Mutant Storm Empire,” the latest shooter from PomPom games and the sequel to “Mutant Storm Reloaded,” features 16 unique levels spread over four richly detailed and varied worlds. The game offers a seamless experience where players move from room to room without having to enter a loading screen, in addition to offline co-op and multiplayer LIVE support for two people.

In the coming weeks, look out for the following titles:

· “N+”(Slick Entertainment and Metanet Software) – Play as an acrobatic ninja in this addictive action-puzzle platformer. N+ features inadvertently homicidal robots, stylish graphics, a level editor and intense multiplayer awesomeness.

· “Screwjumper!” (THQ) – Players take the plunge in “Screwjumper!” and free-fall into the depths of the chaotic underworld as a Screwjumper, driving aliens back to their home world by destroying their precious mining equipment.

· “SHREK-N-ROLL™” (Activision) – Gamers join “Shrek,” “Fiona,” “Donkey,” “Puss in Boots” and 20 other twisted fairy tale friends in this hilarious puzzle game designed for ogres of all ages.

· “SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam™” (Nickelodeon and THQ) – In this quick and fun game, players search the kitchen of the Krusty Krab, the Flying Dutchman’s ship and the Armoury of Atlantis for 99 pairs of underpants.

· “Switchball” (Sierra Online) – Based on real-world physics, “Switchball” is an intricate puzzle game set in a stunning 3-D world where players control an ever-changing ball along a narrow, winding course suspended in midair.

· “Undertow” (Chair Entertainment Group) – This fast-paced action-shooter sends gamers underwater as they battle up to 16 players for control of the oceans! Players race to upgrade their units as they engage in non-stop conquest-style battles through multiple levels of combat action with some of the most stunning graphics ever seen in an Xbox LIVE Arcade title.

· “Word Puzzle” (InterServ International) – The classic pen-and-paper word search game is brought to a new level of excitement on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360, complete with combos, high-score achievements and the ability to compete against others online.

More than 100 games will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade by the end of the year, including dozens of original intellectual properties and classic titles updated for this generation. Specific game information surrounding each title will be available on http://www.xbox.com/games/livearcade in the coming weeks.

Panzer Tactics DS - Video

The last in the series of "Producer in a Box" videos gives an impression of the comprehensive multi-player modes

Whether Hot Seat, LAN or Wi-Fi – the comprehensive multi-player modes in Panzer Tactics DS, the first authentic turn-based Second World War strategy game for the Nintendo DS, allow up to four strategists to pit their skills against one another and show their qualities as officer and commander. Starting today, Sproing project manager Johanna Schober gives prospective commanders a look at what possibilities the various multi-player modes have to offer, and how customizable settings guarantee each and every strategy fan the maximum in gaming fun. Panzer Tactics DS players can look forward to hours of excitement and gripping duels on the Nintendo DS starting in early December in Europe.

The video is available for download immediately at www.panzertactics.com!

Story

1939: The world stands on the brink of one of the greatest armed conflicts in the history of mankind: the Second World War. Players assume command of the most powerful armies of the time: The German Wehrmacht, the Soviet Army or the Allied Forces. Experience the demanding strategic level of the conflict n three historically-based campaigns for the first time ever on a handheld platform.


Features

Three exciting single-player campaigns on the side of the German Wehrmacht, the Soviet Army or the Allied Forces

30 nerve-wracking, historical missions, including undercover missions behind enemy lines

Over 150 different marine, land and air units as well as 20 different special attacks

30 heroic officers who provide their units additional motivation

Exceptional depth of play and complex computer opponent behaviour make the game playable again and again

Multi-player mode for up to 4 players on 10 different multi-player maps (LAN, Nintendo Wi-Fi-Connection, Hot Seat mode)

Online ranking table

Playable using Nintendo DS Touchpen, buttons or a combination of both

Optional bonus mission goals to unlock additional missions and tactical optimizations

Wide variety of combat animations for all units and a wide range of special effects for explosion and weather depiction

MTV Games and Harmonix Unveil Set List for Rock Band

Video Game to Feature 58 Tracks Including Songs from Mega Rock Artists Rolling Stones, Metallica, The Police, The Clash, Foo Fighters, Radiohead and More

Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, announced today the final song list for its highly anticipated music videogame Rock Band™. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world’s biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes 58 tracks and spans every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock to heavy metal and punk. With multiple instruments and an impressive selection of online and offline game modes to choose from to play as a band or individually, Rock Band offers players an infinite number of ways to play each song and live out their ultimate rock and roll fantasies.

“Our goal with Rock Band was to give players the chance to experience an amazing cross section of music from the last four decades, and our final list of tracks includes everything from emerging bands to iconic artists,“ stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s Senior Vice President of Home Entertainment, Music and Games. “The overwhelmingly positive response from artists, music publishers and record labels made the final selection process challenging, but extremely exciting. As a result, 51 out of 58 of the final selections are based on original masters, giving fans an unprecedented way to get closer to the music they love.”

Eric Brosius, Harmonix audio lead stated, “Now that the disc track list is locked and Rock Band is being prepped for manufacture, we are working with our music partners to set an exciting download schedule, both for launch and beyond. Through DLC, players will have the ability to take a deeper dive into the music of the artists featured on the Rock Band disc, or further explore different genres of rock or additional bands if they choose.”


Rock Band Set List:
In addition to the 45 tracks listed below, Rock Band will also feature 13 songs ranging from a variety of established bands to up-and-coming independent artists that can be unlocked as you play through the game.

1960s
Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter"

1970s
Aerosmith “Train Kept a Rollin’”*
The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Boston “Foreplay/Long Time”
Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
The Police “Next to You”
David Bowie "Suffragette City"
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Deep Purple "Highway Star"
KISS "Detroit Rock City"
Molly Hatchet “Flirtin’ With Disaster”
The Outlaws “Green Grass & High Tides”*
Sweet “Ballroom Blitz”*

1980s
Rush "Tom Sawyer"*
Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"
The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Faith No More "Epic"
R.E.M. “Orange Crush”
Iron Maiden “Run to the Hills”*

1990s
Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly"
Metallica "Enter Sandman"
Nirvana "In Bloom"
Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline"
Weezer "Say It Ain't So"
Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock"
Radiohead "Creep"
Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
Hole "Celebrity Skin"
Garbage "I Think I'm Paranoid"
Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"

2000s
The Hives "Main Offender"
Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"
The Strokes "Reptilia"
Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
OK Go "Here It Goes Again"
Nine Inch Nails "The Hand That Feeds"
Pixies "Wave of Mutilation"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California"
Coheed & Cambria “Welcome Home”
Fallout Boy “Dead on Arrival”
The Killers “When You Were Young”
New Pornographers “Electric Version”
Indicates a cover song, all others songs are original master recordings

Rock Band is a new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before, challenging users to master the lead/bass guitar, drums, and vocals as solo artists or cooperatively as part of their own band.


Rock Band is slated for release for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 2 computer entertainment system in the first quarter of 2008 in Europe.

Rock Band is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

EA will serve as the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Rock Band, managing distribution for the game in US, Europe and Australia.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Super Mario Galaxy backup edition

Link to Game video
We already heard about ripped copies of Super Mario Galaxy making it onto the 'net, and now some silly person is showing off his Super Mario Galaxy backup running on his consumer Wii.

The video maker goes out of his way to show that this copied disc is actually playing, even stopping to eject the copy to show its effect on the game. We get it - it works!

He's still not as cool as the GameStop employees that we've talked to who just took the kiosk copy of the game home and played it to their hearts' content. Even cooler are the people who will actually wait a few weeks to purchase a real copy to add this fine game to their collections.

And guess what, backup guy -- I saw your Mii, and I'm

Link to Game video

Simpsons Game Producer Takes Shots at Rockstar

Rockstar was pretty ticked to discover that The Simpsons Game parodies Grand Theft Auto; as EA's Matt Selman puts it, when Rockstar saw the Grand Theft Scratchy poster, they "spazzed out like little babies."

In an episode of Game Head, Selman explains that the idea that it was pretty absurd for Rockstar to worry that anyone would actually confuse the fake game of Grand Theft Scratchy with the real Grand Theft Auto:

We couldn't get our game out in time, so we're afraid that the gamers — who are not morons — are going to get confused by an Itchy and Scratchy poster of Grand Theft Scratchy - they're going to think that's the same thing as Grand Theft Auto.

Selman is actually a big fan of the GTA series, saying "I'll be the first person in line to play Grand Theft Auto 4...in five years when it comes out." Oh, burn.

Source: WIRED Blog

The Simpsons games review

The Simpsons Game: Strategy/ action game (Electronic Arts for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and PS2. $39.99 to $59.99. ESRB Rating: Teen.)

Are you ready for the Super Happy Fun Fun?
We're referring, of course, to the 22nd episode of the eighth season of "The Simpsons," where Homer discovers that he looks exactly like the mascot for the Japanese-made dishwasher detergent Mr. Sparkle. That and dozens of other obscure references to the television show are buried in the Simpsons Game, which features an unusual amount of cooperation between the creative heads of "The Simpsons" and the publishers of the video game at Electronic Arts.

If only the game play matched the wittiness of the writing, this might be a classic. Yet, even with its simple action sequences and a few frustrating game play mechanics, the latest game based on "The Simpsons" is an unexpected treat for fans of the show, filled with inside jokes from the "Simpsons" universe and some entertaining satire of the video game industry.

Previous "Simpsons" titles, like most video games based on licensed characters from television and movies, were stunningly unimaginative. The Simpsons Hit & Run on PlayStation 2, for example, was just a simplified version of the arcade classic Crazy Taxi, with maybe a couple hours of work from each of the show's voice actors. It was the type of consumer rip-off (usually orchestrated by Krusty) that the writers from "The Simpsons" might make fun of in an episode of the show.

Somewhere in the past few years, the creative force behind the franchise got tired of simply cashing royalty checks for their video games and tried to make a good one. The Simpsons Game gets quality contributions from several of the show's better writers. And while many TV and movie actors deliver vocal performances like someone has a gun to their head, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria and the other "Simpsons" regulars clearly worked hard to make the game sound like the TV show.

The plot combines familiar "Simpsons" situations, including clips directly from the show, with new material - much of it skewering video games. The Comic Book Guy, for example, points out each of the game's cliches. ("The double jump. How original.") References to the Grand Theft Auto spoof Grand Theft Scratchy are also still in the game, even though Rockstar reportedly influenced Electronic Arts to change the name in a promotional video to Mob Rules.

The satirical elements are the best part of the Simpsons Game, which succeeds on the strength of its parody skills. On the Xbox 360, at least, the graphics in the game are just as good as the TV show's animation, creating a seamless experience. Just walking around Springfield and bumping into other characters will yield a few lines ("Mmmm. Calories," Homer says, as he enters the Land of Chocolate) that are bound to make you smile.
The action in the game is incredibly simple, with each character having the ability to run, jump and execute a couple of special moves. Bart has a slingshot and Marge operates a megaphone that has offensive capabilities. Homer has burping power, the ability to turn into a Metroid Prime-style ball weapon and a couple of other skills that reveal themselves later in the game.
It's a strange format, because the simple puzzles and repetitive tasks seem designed for the 8-year-old Sonic the Hedgehog crowd, and yet the Simpsons Game more than earns its Teen rating with some off-color jokes and penchant for funny, over-the-top violence.

The game is also restricted by nausea-inducing camera controls, which constantly change but are rarely very effective. For such a simple game - the instruction booklet for the Simpsons Game is six pages - making the characters move the way you want them to is much too complicated.

Still, that's a relatively tiny problem in a game that more than makes up for its shortcomings with "Simpsons"-style mob violence, Homer-related gluttony, Krusty the Clown-themed product safety violations and other assorted tasteless brilliance. Let the Super Happy Fun Fun begin.

Source: SFGate

Orange box deactivations

Developer defends right to territorial control

Consumers based in the US who bought Orange Box product keys from an online retailer in Thailand are having their copies of the game deactivated.

Orange Box developer and Steam operator Valve issued a statement late last week defending its behaviour. "Valve uses Steam for territory control to make sure products authorised for use in certain territories are not being distributed and used outside of those territories," the company said.

"In this case, a Thai website was selling retail box product keys for Thailand to people outside of Thailand. Since those keys are only for use in Thailand, people who purchased product keys from the Thai website are not able to use those product keys in other territories."

Consumers who have since bought a new domestic copy of the game but could still not get the new Orange Box to work, have been told to contact Steam directly.

"Some of these users have subsequently purchased a legal copy after realising the issue and were having difficulty removing the illegitimate keys from their Steam accounts," the statement continues. "Anyone having this problem should contact Steam Support to have the Thai key removed from their Steam account."

Hellgate: London video game Music Interview

Flagship Studios' Hellgate: London takes place in the near future, only a few decades from now. The famed city lies in ruins, desolated by demons that simply and almost effortlessly swept aside humanity's armies. Even the most highly advanced, top secret biological and nuclear weapons have failed to slow their rampage. Reeling from the ferocious assault, the survivors have taken refuge in what's left of the Underground. Their last hope lies with three mysterious factions.

Templars have trained diligently in martial disciplines and holy magic to prepare for the conflict their predecessors foresaw centuries ago. Cabalists study the dark arts and combine them with knowledge from the peripheries of science, seeking to use the fiends' own powers against them. Hunters are former military operatives with access to ranged arms that very few others even knew existed, except perhaps in theory.

Sascha Dikiciyan, Cris Velasco

The action RPG will ship later this week, so we're only days away from taking on these diverse roles, heading out to stalk the invaders, and battling desperately to save our race from extinction. As we do so, we can look to the game's music for some additional inspiration. It's the result of a collaboration involving two accomplished composers, the team of Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan.

Their combined credits in the industry, both together and individually, are numerous and impressive, so when we learned they had been given this assignment, our expectations were naturally high. With their latest title about to be unveiled, it seemed a very fitting time to examine their contribution. Fortunately for us, the pair proved receptive when we came along with our usual plethora of questions. The result was this interesting and highly informative interview.

This game was just a perfect match for us. I really saw the opportunity to create something non-typical for Hellgate. Flagship gave us all the freedom we needed.

More from: RPG Vault

Nvidia Unleashes GeForce 8800 GT

Gamers wanting an uber cool gaming experience this festive season have now got an affordable option.

Nvidia has launched the GeForce 8800 GT, the latest addition to its GeForce 8 Series of graphics processing units (GPUs)

GeForce 8800 GT offers a hyper-reactive, intensely robust gaming experience for the latest, next generation DirectX 10 games, such as Crysis, Hellgate: London, and Gears of War, as well as full support for current DirectX 9 games, according to Nvidia.

When the GeForce 8 Series was first introduced, gamers demanded a product with 64 stream processors and 256-bit memory interface to deliver more performance at an affordable price.

Nvidia has now responded to the demand with its GeForce 8800 GT featuring 112 stream processors, fast 256-bit memory interface, and second-generation PureVideo HD technology.

In addition to 112 stream processors, each individually clocked at 1.5GHz, plus a 256-bit memory interface running at 900MHz, the GeForce 8800 GT is designed for the new PCI Express 2.0 bus standard, and is backwards-compatible with the original PCI Express standard.

Nvidia claims the GeForce 8800GT combines the best in gaming with the best in HD. It features a second-generation video processing engine to deliver high-quality playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray movies on PCs.

According to the company, the new programmable video processing engine takes on all of the high definition H.264 video decoding, freeing the CPU to perform other tasks, as also reduces power consumption, heat, and noise.

The Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT is available for Rs 14,900 plus taxes.

Crytek's Crysis Goes Gold, In Stores November 16

Hardware upgrade enthusiasts start your wallets -- Crysis, arguably the most anticipated PC first-person action game to come along in years, just went gold today, according to Electronic Arts and German-based developer Crytek. 1UP popped the news this evening, pointing to November 16 as the magic day you'll be able to officially buy a game so power-greedy it had to be time-warped back from a future where PCs can actually run it.

"We are extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish with Crysis," said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. "We wanted to push the boundaries both visually and with open-ended, non-linear gameplay and we believe the end result delivers that vision."

Oh happy day, Crysis at the locked (but for you, unlocked!) highest detail settings runs like a dream on my DirectX 9 Windows XP "take-a-hike-Windows-Vista-ain't-gonna-miss-ya-dee-ex-10" PC.

What's he talking about? XP vs. Vista. Have the latter and you can run Crysis full bore; have the former and you can only crank the visual throttle up to three-quarter, tops.

Unless of course you simply copy and paste a few lines of text in a handful of game directory CFG files, at which point the ostensibly DX10-only 'very high' special effects for water, shadows, shaders, textures and more can be yours, sweetened by Windows XP's superior performance.

What's it do?

Turns out Crysis isn't as DX10-y as some might have you believe by making the 'very high' detail settings unusable unless you're running Vista. Crysis on XP is out of the gate locked at 'high', a significant visual downgrade from 'very high' in all instances.

While fiddling with the text file parameters for Crysis' configuration settings, someone figured out that by placing the 'very high' settings under 'high', the game not only (mis)reads them, they actually render. Sun rays, depth of field, advanced physics, particles, and volumetric effects -- all available, and apparently not DX10 effects. What's more, Crysis under XP runs dramatically (~10fps) faster on my system, setting for setting, be it 'low', 'medium', or 'high'.

"As good" looking on XP and faster? What's up with that?

The cynic will argue Crytek cordoned 'very high' off from XP users arbitrarily and merely to help Microsoft promote Vista. Look at Shadowrun, they'll say, a Vista-exclusive game that was shown to run identically under Windows XP.

The idealist will probably argue that there's still a DX10 component not parsing in the above tweak, i.e. Crysis on XP using 'very high' settings is still in some capacity (notable or no) at least technically inferior to Crysis under Vista. Cache logs suggests Shader 4.0 calls, which is a hardwired DX10-exclusive.

In any event, the truth is that Crysis does look appreciably better with the above tweaks running under XP, and there's no way Crytek or Microsoft are going to be able to pretend that it doesn't. But publicly ignore? Probably.

Let's just hope the powers that be don't "break" the tweak in the final version which just went gold and should hit store shelves Friday November 16.

Pokemon Seat Cushion for Classroom Sitting

There is it, the pre-order Pokémon seat cushion.

Today, Mini-Bash took it to school. When he got back home, he told us that no other kids had a yellow Diamond & Pearl cushion, but that one other kid had a blue one. The rest?

They apparently had Pooh Bear and Anpanman ones, which Mini-Bash once again confirmed are "for babies." Gotta pre-order, kiddos!

From: Kotaku

Phantom Hourglass tops Euro charts

Number one seller in Germany and Spain

Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass has entered the charts in Spain and Germany at number one on the first week of release.

In Germany the DS title just manages to outsell EA and Valve's The Orange Box package, which enters at number two.

As a publisher Nintendo has four of the top ten titles in the region, with both Dr Kawashima games continuing to sell well, along with Pokemon Diamond.

Over in Spain, Electronic Arts FIFA 08 is hogging the top ten, with the PlayStation 2 version at two, the PS3 version at four and the PSP title at nine.

The top ten best-selling games in Germany and Spain follow:

Germany

1. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

2. The Orange Box (PC)

3. FIFA 08 (PS2)

4. The Settlers (PC)

5. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima (DS)

6. Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2 (PS2)

7. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)

8. Pokemon Diamond (DS)

9. FIFA 08 (PC)

10. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)

Spain

1. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

2. FIFA 08 (PS2)

3. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360)

4. FIFA 08 (PS3)

5. WWE Smackdown! Vs. RAW 2007 (PS2)

6. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima (DS)

7. My Sims (DS)

8. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)

9. FIFA 08 (PSP)

10. Pokemon Diamond (DS)

All data supplied by Media Control Gfk International.